Balochistan National Party-Mengal and National Party held separate demonstrations in Quetta and another part of Balochistan province against the bill passed on the Reko Diq Copper-gold project, Dawn reported.
The participants of the public meeting also approved a resolution that said that the Reko Diq project bill passed by the parliament had ignored the will of the masses of the province which would not be accepted at any cost.
The protesters said that defending every inch of Balochistan was part of “our national responsibility and duty because this land is our motherland and we will not allow our identity to be erased under any circumstances”.
They threatened that if the legislation passed in the dark of the night regarding Reko Diq was not withdrawn and Balochistan people were not considered as the heir of mineral and other resources of Balochistan then the BNP-M would take a tough decision in this regard.
Meanwhile, the National Party also held its rallies in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan separately but on the same issue opposing the agreement reached between federal and provincial governments with Canadian company Barrick Gold Corporation.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the government of Pakistan would ensure the protection of the rights of investors in all the investment projects, including the Reko Diq project, and all the promises made to them would be fulfilled.
A five-member cabinet committee was formed to remove some legal obstacles and hold talks with the leaders of the coalition parties, to address their concerns. The committee comprised Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Law Minister Azam Tarar, and Economic
Affairs Minister Ayaz Sadiq. The committee decided that an amendment would be made in consultation with the concerned parties.